That night, I could barely sleep. Everyone except for Taylor and Roni had gone back home, and we were all in the tiny bedrooms at the back of the clubhouse. Taylor had gotten so drunk that I feared she might actually have alcohol poisoning—she’d collapsed after a round of tequila shots and beer. She’d just dropped to the ground and passed out, and Roni and I had wrestled her into one of the back rooms. Taylor hadn’t even known where she was; she was rolling her head around and babbling incoherently as Roni and I tucked her into bed. Even after she’d thrown up a couple of times, I knew she wasn’t going to be enjoying herself much in the morning.
There was a knock on the door. “Yeah?” I called.
Roni stepped in. Her dark skin looked almost black in the low light of the room. “Hey,” she said softly. “Have time for a talk?”
I nodded. That bad feeling was coming back stronger than before, but I still couldn’t place it. “Yeah,” I said. I patted the bed next to me and Roni sat down.
“Those guys were here for some reason,” she said darkly, staring straight ahead at the wall. It was covered with photos of us Wild Witches in our gear, posing with our bikes. “They didn’t just show up for the free booze.”
I bit my lip. I wanted to agree with her, but it seemed a little hyperbolic. After all, Mike and Will hadn’t been bad guys. Just cocky ones with big mouths.
“I don’t know,” I said finally. “Maybe they did just show up. Taylor has a big mouth, you know, she could have told one of them.”
Roni sucked her teeth. “I didn’t say shit,” she said defensively.
I stared at her. “Never said you did,” I said as calmly as I could manage. “So what’s this about?”
“You ever think about moving the club in another direction?”
I shook my head. “We’re doing fine,” I replied. “Better than fine, actually. You know how hard we’ve worked to really bring ourselves back from the dead. And here we are better than ever.”
Roni looked at me, and I shivered again. Her dark eyes had a way of making me feel hypnotized, like she and I were the only two people in the world. “That ain’t what I’m talking about,” she said in a low voice. “I’m talking about really thinking about who belongs here and who doesn’t.”
My mind immediately went to Taylor. I knew that Roni didn’t like her, didn’t trust her, and didn’t want her around. But I couldn’t just kick someone out of the MC for no reason, especially someone like Taylor. She’d been on probation for a year and she had recently been patched in as a full member. Ditziness aside, I liked her. I thought she was going to prove to be a really valuable member of the MC, and I thought she was probably a lot sharper than she looked.
“I know you don’t like Taylor,” I said, “but I want to evaluate her and see how she performs. Now that she’s no longer on probation, I expect pretty great things from her. And she’s never done us wrong, Roni. She knows how politics in an MC work. She grew up around one, for fuck’s sake.”
Roni shook her head. “I ain’t talking about Taylor,” she said. “I’m talking about Patti.”
“What?” I frowned. “Patti’s been here for ages, and she’s a good member.”
Roni laughed. “No, she ain’t,” she replied. “She invited those assholes here tonight. I just know she did. And you’re really gonna stand for that? I thought you didn’t want those guys here.”
“I didn’t,” I said. “But they didn’t do anything wrong. They were fine. Everything was fine, and I don’t think Patti invited them. Hell, that one said it was you.”
“Jaz,” Roni said. “Come on, you really think I’d do that?”
I glanced away. I didn’t think she would—at least, I didn’t want to. But Roni could be manipulative, and I knew that she didn’t think she was getting her way as often as she wanted it.
“I don’t know,” I said finally. “I need to sleep. You mind?”
Roni got up and left in a huff. She could be like this sometimes, more dramatic than three women put together. I didn’t like her bitchiness, but I knew she was probably just trying to help.
It took me a long time to fall asleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Roni had said. I couldn’t stop thinking about Taylor either. Maybe Roni had been right, maybe we never should have patched her in. Maybe I should completely redesign the MC.
“Leslie,” Joshua said in a sharp, soft voice. “Wake up!”
I opened my eyes slowly. Joshua was on his knees, kneeling by the side of my bed. “What are you doing here?” I asked softly. “It’s late.”
Joshua grinned a heartbreaking smile. His green eyes sparkled in the dim light of my room. “It’s early, more like,” Joshua said with a grin. “It’s a little before five.”
I groaned audibly, forgetting that my parents were in the next room. I was seventeen years old again, and Joshua had snuck into my room. My parents, in a spectacular feat of oversight, had put a rose trellis right underneath my bedroom window. Ever since Joshua and I had started dating at the age of fourteen, he’d snuck into my room almost nightly. Part of me didn’t think I could sleep without his comforting gaze, without his soft touch and his perfect green eyes. I didn’t even worry about getting caught any longer—we’d been doing this for years.
“Come on,” Joshua urged. “Get up.”
As I sat up and climbed out of bed, I blushed. It was the middle of summer and I’d taken to sleeping in a thong. Joshua’s eyes glanced over my body appreciatively. I felt a tingle of arousal pulse between my legs. Joshua and I had been sleeping together for two years, and I was absolutely crazy about him. If my parents hadn’t been asleep down the hall, I probably would have pulled him right back into bed with me.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Joshua said softly. “But it’s too close to when their alarm goes off.”
I grinned. Joshua and I could almost always read each other’s minds. It was a product of growing up as nearly siblings, closer than two human beings were supposed to be. It was our way of staying as close as we could.
I dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a light tank top. Joshua handed me a lightweight jacket as I swung my body over the window frame and nimbly climbed down the rose trellis. The roses were just beginning to bloom and the fragrance was heavenly. I felt like I was in a beautiful, wonderful dream.
“I want to take you somewhere special,” Joshua said into my ear. I shivered as his breath tickled my skin. Just being this close to him was giving me shivers all over my body, and I didn’t want him to stop touching me. When Joshua moved away, I felt my heart thump against my ribs.
“Okay,” I said softly. “Where are we going?”
“Close your eyes,” Joshua said. “I have a surprise for you.” He took me by the hand and led me through the yard. I could feel the grass turn into asphalt, and then I knew we were by the road.
“What is it?” Joshua’s hand was over my eyes, but I was dying to see.
Finally, he removed his hand. “You can open your eyes now,” Joshua said with a flourish. When I looked at what was sitting in the driveway, I gasped. It was the most beautiful motorcycle I’d ever seen—shiny black and chrome with new tires.
“Oh my god,” I squealed. “This is incredible! Did you buy this?”
Joshua grinned. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close and nuzzling into my hair. “I did,” he said softly. “But I didn’t buy it for me.”
His words didn’t sink in for a second; my eyes were closed and my face was buried in his neck. “Oh, my god,” I repeated. “Is this for me?”
Joshua nodded. “It’s your birthday present,” he said. “I know you turn eighteen in a couple of weeks, and this was the only thing that I could think of getting you.”
I gasped and shrieked before my legs kicked into gear and I ran over to the bike, hugging it tightly and running my hands over the fenders and wheels. “This is incredible,” I said again. “Joshua, this is too much! I don’t deserve this!”
“Come on,” Joshua said with a sexy little smile. “Let’s take a ride together.”
I’d never felt as powerful as I felt that first night on my bike. The wind was in my hair and whipping at my face, and I felt dark and strong and intense. Even though Joshua was riding behind me and gripping my waist, I felt alone. Solitary. I liked the feeling; instead of making me feel like I was Joshua’s bitch, riding behind him, I felt like he was riding behind me. Like I was the strong one, not my amazing boyfriend. The thrill of riding through the dark hills and roads together was incredible. I’d never felt anything like it. When I pulled over, Joshua crushed me to his body and kissed me deeply. His tongue slipped between my lips and I eagerly pressed my body against his, desperate for his touch. As Joshua’s hands ran down my back and squeezed my ass, I moaned softly into his mouth.
“I can’t believe this,” I murmured to Joshua after we’d pulled apart. “This is the best birthday present I’ve ever had.”
Joshua smirked. “I know,” he said. He was cocky, but that was one of the reasons why I loved him so much. He was mine, and he had every reason to be cocky: Joshua was the most desirable man that I’d ever met.
“How did you do this?” I demanded softly. Joshua had a part-time job, but I didn’t think he ever could have afforded something like this. “I can’t believe it’s really mine!”
Joshua chuckled. "I saved up and bought something that needed a lot of repairs," he said. "This isn't exactly new," he added. "I mean, it's perfectly fixed up now. But you can probably tell it's a vintage model."
I grinned. “I don’t mind,” I said softly. “It’s the most beautiful and perfect thing I’ve ever seen, and I love it. I’m never giving it up.”
Joshua grinned. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, kissing me hard and deep. Arousal began tingling in my lower belly, and I shuddered as Joshua slipped his hand under my shirt and gently pinched my nipples until they became as stiff as pebbles. He always knew exactly how to touch my body in order to excite me, and tonight was no exception. Plus, I loved having sex outdoors—our first time had been in the woods—and I was feeling more aroused than ever. The combination of the heady motorcycle ride and my sexy boyfriend toying with my body was really making me wet.
“I want you,” I moaned in Joshua’s ear. “Take me, Joshua.”
Joshua growled. He grabbed my wrists and held my arms over my head as his other hand groped and stroked my breasts. I shivered and moaned with pleasure as the sensation rocketed through my body. Joshua grabbed my waist and pulled me close, rubbing his strong pelvis against mine. I shuddered as I felt his hard cock.
“I want you, Leslie,” Joshua grunted in my ear, sending a flicker of pleasure through me. “I’m yours.” As his strong hands yanked my jeans down, I gasped. Joshua ripped off my thong and tossed it aside, bending me over the motorcycle and caressing my hips until I was shaking with lust. I heard him fumbling with his pants and then the clink of his belt buckle dropping to the ground. “And now I’m going to make you mine,” Joshua grunted as he thrust into me. The sensation was delicious, and I cried out as Joshua impaled me with his rock-hard erection. The pleasure that had coiled in my belly slowly began to spread through my body, and before I knew it, I was crying out and pushing my pelvis hard against Joshua’s strong body.
"Leslie," Joshua grunted. He tangled his fingers in my hair and yanked my head back. "Leslie, I need you," he said again. I moaned loudly as his hips slammed against mine with more force than before. As his cock slid inside my soaking wet pussy, Joshua reached around my body and began rubbing his thumb against my clit. The sensation was incredible, and I shrieked and wriggled my hips against him, desperate for more contact.
“Joshua,” I moaned. “Joshua!”
There was a sharp rap on the door and I woke up, confused by my dream. For a moment, I thought I was back there, in the woods with Joshua. In the woods with the man I loved. Then reality came crashing down around me—I wasn’t in the woods, I was in a tiny bedroom in the back of the Wild Witches’ clubhouse.
“What is it?” I sat up in bed and blinked. “What’s going on?”
Roni strode into the room with an angry expression on her face. “Get dressed,” she said sharply. “You’re not going to like this.”
Ten minutes later, I was standing by Taylor’s bedside. She was awake, and although less drunk than she had been earlier, she was still pretty out of it. There was blood on the sheets and she was sporting a bloody nose and a black eye.
“What the hell happened?” I crouched down by Taylor’s side of the bed. “What was it?”
“Some asshole assaulted her,” Roni said in a deadly calm voice. “She’s been hurt, and she needs to go to the hospital.”
I sighed. I hated involving medical professionals in our work. We often had a lot of injuries to account for that we couldn’t necessarily explain—bullet wounds, for one. The MC had a doctor on call who performed a lot of favors for us, and I pulled out my phone to call her.
Roni frowned. “What the fuck are you doing? We need to get her to a hospital, now.”
I glared. “This is my MC,” I said in a calm voice. “And I make the decisions here. Have you forgotten that?”
Taylor whimpered and rolled around in the bed.
When the doctor answered, her voice was clogged with sleep and groggy. “Hello?”
“It’s Jasmine,” I said instantly. “We need you here at the clubhouse. There’s been an attack on one of my girls.”
“She needs a hospital,” Roni cut in.
“Shut up,” I snapped as I hung up the phone and slipped it back into my pocket. “I decide what she needs, and right now what she needs is for you to stop arguing with me.” Roni glared but she didn’t reply. “And I want to know exactly what happened.”
Taylor opened her eyes and looked at me pathetically. She looked almost like a child; her blonde hair was spread out on the pillows and her eyes were wet with tears.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said softly. “I was just lying here and someone came in and hurt me.” She gasped as she rolled onto her side.
“Who was it?” I demanded sharply. “A man? A woman?”
Taylor shook her head. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I couldn’t see. It was too dark.”
Beside me, Roni was practically quaking with rage. “It was one of them Venom Brothers assholes,” she hissed in my ear. “I saw one of their jackets sneaking out of the back into the parking lot.”
I gaped at her. “Are you sure?”
Roni nodded. “One hundred percent sure,” she said in the same cocksure voice that I despised about the men we’d seen earlier. “I know who did this. And we need to get revenge.”
I held up my hands. “We ain’t doing shit until the doctor gets here and finds out what happened to Taylor,” I replied. “And then we’re deciding as a group.”
Roni bristled beside me. I could tell that she didn’t like being ordered around, but tough shit. She wasn’t the president of the Wild Witches; I was. And this was my fucking club.
“You need to obey me,” I hissed to Roni. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“The doctor’s here,” Roni said. She pushed past me and opened the door.
The doctor, a mousy little woman named Maria, slipped inside the room. She was clad in scrubs and carrying a beaten-up leather bag which she dropped on the floor. As she pulled on a pair of latex gloves, she looked down at Taylor and frowned.
“What happened?”
“We don’t know,” I said quickly, before Roni could cut in. “We were all asleep and someone broke in and assaulted Taylor.”
“Someone broke in?” Maria looked at me with big, scared brown eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I’ll look around,” I said warily. I went back to my room and grabbed my gun, shoving it in the back of my pants. Actually, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure about anything, and I wanted to check it out before I told anyone else what happened. A mix of anger, frustration, and adrenaline was coursing through my veins. It wasn’t right of Roni to assume responsibility the way that she had, but at least she wasn’t fighting with me now.
With my gun cocked and loaded, I slowly made my way through the halls. The clubhouse was dark; the recreation area was a complete mess. Beer bottles and sticky puddles littered the floor and I could smell the sour smell of stale alcohol. Damn, I thought to myself. We know how to throw a fuckin’ party.
The front door was locked and bolted, and I could tell that none of the windows had been broken. The place looked virtually untouched from earlier, and I wondered how the man had broken in. As much as I hated how she’d reacted, I had to trust Roni. It probably was one of the men from Venom Brothers. And now I was going to have to deal with all of it myself.
When I got back to the bedroom, Taylor was sitting up and crying. Maria gave her a shot of something clear and advised she stay in bed for a few days. Then, she pulled me aside.
“Stay with her,” I told Roni. “I’ll be right outside with the doctor.”
Maria glanced at me nervously. She bit her thin lip and raked a hand through mousy brown hair. “She was assaulted with a blunt object,” she said in a low, quiet voice. I could barely hear her even though I was only standing a few feet away. “And whoever was doing it was very careful. There was no evidence, no semen. No sign that she’d been touched with a human body. There are contusions on her head and neck, like she was struggling and someone tried to fight with her. And her legs are bruised very badly. Taylor tried to fight, but someone must have knocked her out. And she wasn’t drugged,” Maria said. “I ran a quick blood test and everything came out normal. She simply had too much to drink.”
I pursed my lips. This was getting stranger by the moment, and I had no idea what to really think. “Thank you,” I said softly. “You’ve been a big help tonight.”